Spot the Gadgets in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

  • Share
  • Read Later

In honor of Star Wars Month, I volunteered to painstakingly watch all six Star Wars movies and compile a list of gadget-like devices I spot in each one. I can promise you I will miss a few and I won’t know what some of them are supposed to be called, but I’ll be damned if I don’t watch all six episodes of one of the greatest film franchises of all time in the name of “work.”

And so we dance.

12:41 – NFWUBA

nfwuba

An acronym for the “No F’in Way Underwater Breathing Apparatus,” the NFWUBA is roughly the size of a harmonica and somehow allows Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to swim underwater for impossibly long periods of time without surfacing for air. I’m hoping NFWUBA will catch on, but it… won’t.

25:44 – GPS. Wait, IPS.

GPS

A mere “global” positioning system would be pretty worthless inside a spacecraft capable of interstellar flight, so it stands to reason they’d call this thing an intergalactic positioning system. That’s why it’s so big, too. It’s got to hold all those maps and AAA-approved waypoints.

28:47 – Magic Puck, Magic Pen

puckpen

I have no idea what the little puck in Obi-Wan’s left hand is supposed to do or what the pen-like doohickey in his right hand is for, but he says “the hyper drive generator is gone” while holding both objects. The pen thing probably makes sounds like Bill Cosby’s pen from Picture Pages as Obi-Wan wands it over certain areas of the generator, relaying data to the puck.

32:21 – Watto’s Point of Sale Tablet

POS

Handheld and tablet-sized, the mobile POS terminal looks to have a six-inch screen and wireless connectivity. Apple later capitalized on this same idea for its Apple Stores. “Would you like a copy of the receipt e-mailed to you?”

34:04 – Nextel-style Direct Connect Communicator

nextel

Assuming a society advanced enough to have mastered space travel wouldn’t carry around more communications devices than necessary, it’s likely that Qui-Gon uses some sort of direct-connect Nextel phone.

42:56 – Pico Projector

projector

“Hey, look at my ship. Hey, here’s a picture of my kids. Hey, look, 3D in my pocket. Hey, why isn’t this just built into my phone? Now my pockets are full.” See 1:39:21 for an example of a properly converged pico projector. It’s the first time we witness R2D2’s video capabilities, but it won’t be the last.

48:43 – Midi-chlorian Tester

midi-chlorian

Take a quick blood test with a penny-sized device, plug it into your cell phone, and shoot the data off for analysis. It’s relatively affordable provided you’ve hit your insurance deductible.

49:31 – Digital Binoculars

binoculars

Here’s indisputable proof that Darth Maul frequents the SkyMall catalog. He’ll tell you he uses them to hunt Jedi. He won’t tell you he likes to unwind with a little bird watching during his downtime.

49:40 – Wrist-worn Remote Control

wrist

Man, not ten seconds later and he’s deploying remote controlled tracking bots via some sweet 80’s-looking wrist band. Clearly the Dark Side has corporate accounts with the Sharper Image and Hammacher Schlemmer.

58:11 – Spectator Video Tablet

videoscreen

Capable of HD graphics (just 720p, not 1080p) the Spectato-Tron 3000 is the preferred choice of fine stadiums and race venues all across the galaxy.

1:14:58 – Walking Throne

throne

A throne with spider-like legs that walks around, navigated by the whims of whomever’s sitting in it? SkyMall, are you paying attention to this?

1:23:24 – Flying Video Camera

camera

It’s really only a matter of time before mainstream flying video cameras take off in real life. First stop, professional sports. Football seems to be an obvious option. Any field-based sporting events, really. And dog shows.

1:39:21 – R2D2’s Built-in Pico Projector

projector2

As promised, a properly converged pico projector.

1:40:31 – Walking Projector

projector3

This film is sponsored in part by the International Association of Projector Manufacturers and their direct subsidiaries. Pair this thing with the walking throne (see 1:14:58) and you’ve got yourself a pretty cushy lifestyle.

1:42:00 – Laser Pointer

pointer

It’s looking more and more like the vast majority of the props for this film were purchased using a “$30 off $150 or more” coupon to Office Depot.

1:50:23 – Ascension Guns

ascension

The thing about ascension guns is that they never show where that long length of wire is kept. Tiny handgun with a 75-foot wire spool in it somewhere? Sure, I guess. Batman pulled the same trick with his utility belt.

That’s it. Stay tuned for Episodes II through VI rolling out all this month.

More on Techland:

Why The Clone Wars is The Work Of The Sith

User Submissions Wanted! What’s Your Favorite Star Wars “Fan Film”?

Star Wars Month: The Debate of 2010 – Is Empire the Best Film?

  1. Previous
  2. 1
  3. 2